The first image of the background is of layers scraped on lightly. I decided to paint the flower petal next to the butterfly as well as the orange in the wing to give me some idea of the colour and tone that will be happening in the painting in these areas. The wing, I brushed out a couple of times and redid and now wondering if that is a sign of what will be happening as I progress with this fellow. The poor butterflies must be getting tired of me chasing them in the garden as I check for the transparency of colours with the sun shining on them.
Click images for a larger view.
The second image shows that I have blended some of the background to give a blurred effect plus this also helps cover the paper. I was starting to “fiddle” before I blended; hence something different moved me away from doing that (for a little while anyway). I have also introduced more purples into the background.
The third image I have covered some more of the background plus more pastel marks throughout the foreground area. I can see that I may need to put some darks back into the foliage that I have lightened near the bottom right. This means I am well and truly now fiddling and not thinking straight. Time for a break!
